1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic component placing apparatus for placing electronic components on a target object such as a substrate or component packaging tape.
2. Description of the Related Art
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-304392, there is disclosed an apparatus for loading electronic components on a substrate. This apparatus comprises a component supplying unit constituted by arranging a plurality of component cassettes in a line, and an index table having a plurality of suction nozzles on the outer periphery.
When loading electronic components on a substrate on a XY table, the component supplying unit is first moved so that a predetermined component cassette comes at a component taking-out position. Next, the suction nozzle, which is at a component taking-out position on the index table, is lowered, and the electronic component is taken out by sucking the electronic component from the component cassette. Then, the index table is rotated in a predetermined direction to move the suction nozzle which sucks the electronic component to a component loading position. Then, the XY table is moved in order to move a component loading point of the substrate to the component loading position. Then, the suction nozzle, which is located at the component loading position, is lowered, and the electronic component sucked by the suction nozzle is loaded on the substrate.
In the foregoing apparatus, time required to load one electronic component on the substrate becomes a sum of time for moving the component supplying unit so that a predetermined component cassette comes at the component taking-out position, time for taking out the electronic component from this component cassette, time for moving the electronic component taken out to the component loading position, and time for loading the electronic component moved to the component loading position on the substrate. Also, since a plurality of electronic components are loaded on one substrate, time required for loading predetermined numbers and types of electronic components on the substrate becomes a number obtained by multiplying the foregoing sum of time by the number of the components loaded.
In recent years, along with the miniaturization of electronic components, the number of components loaded on one substrate tends to increase, and the productivity improvements by high-speed loading are desired. In the foregoing apparatus, however, there is a limit in the mechanism on shortening the respective time required for loading one electronic component on a substrate, and therefore, it is difficult to satisfactorily meet the foregoing request.